Sandy Hook parents jumping into national debate

Nanci G. Hutson

Published 10:34 pm, Friday, January 11, 2013

FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2012 file photo, Veronique Pozner waves to the assembled media as she leaves after a funeral service for her 6-year-old son Noah Pozner, in Fairfield, Conn. Noah Pozner was killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14. Veronique Pozner, said Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, that she wondered why she hadn't received more information about legislative proposals regarding guns in the weeks after the shooting. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)
Photo: Contributed Photo

Some of the Sandy Hook Elementary School families who lost children and loved ones at the Dec. 14 mass shooting appear poised to become public advocates in the national debate over how to curb gun violence, make schools safer and improve mental health care.

Newtown United, a local group that formed after the shootings to help the families and to forge a community dialogue, is rebranding itself as Sandy Hook Promise. The group says it has members of victims' families among its supporters.

In another sign of some families' willingness to take on public roles, Veronique Pozner, one of the parents of a first-grader slain at the school, has been contacted by White House officials after criticizing President Barack Obama's task force on gun violence earlier this week for not providing an opportunity for Sandy Hook families to participate in its discussion.

"As the mother of a 6-year-old victim of a cold-blooded massacre of schoolchildren, I am puzzled and disappointed by the fact that I have had no information or opportunity to be heard regarding the upcoming legislative proposal in Washington," Pozner said in a statement released by her brother, Alexis Haller, Thursday.

Haller said Friday that the White House has reached out to him and his sister, and "we intend to speak with the White House about the proposals being made and now we have the means to do that."

He added that while much of the debate in past weeks has been on gun control and armed guards in schools, he believes the bigger picture should be addressed.

"This is not a political issue, its a human issue: How do you stop the killing of children in schools?" he said.

"That's the issue my sister and I are focused on and where we will try to have a voice. Reducing the debate to things like assault rifles and armed guards is unfortunate. There needs to be a multifaceted approach."

In past tragedies of national scope -- including the 9/11 terrorism attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing and the Columbine school shooting -- some of the most powerful and influential activists have been people and survivors personally touched by those events.

Families of those killed in the 9/11 attacks took center stage in the discussion of how to combat terrorism. Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an attack by a deranged shooter two years ago, has emerged as a national figure for gun-control initiatives.

The Obama administration said Friday it would welcome Sandy Hook parents' involvement. Asked about Pozner's comment, Matt Lehrich, a White House spokesperson, issued this statement: "There is no perspective more meaningful in this process than that of a parent who has lost a child. We remain in touch with families from Newtown and will present an opportunity for all of them to share their views before the president makes any decisions."

Sandy Hook Promise leader Tom Bittman, who has been its liaison with the victims' families, said Friday that the group's sole intent is to represent the interests and voices of these families.

"We are representing, as much as standing with, the families. This isn't about us; this is for them," said Bittman who like the other founders have neighbors and friends who lost children in the Sandy Hook Elementary slayings of 20 first-graders, four teachers and two administrators.

A news conference has been scheduled for Monday to unveil the organization's leadership and goals. Some families of victims will be there, though their names were not disclosed Friday.

It's not clear how many families of the 26 Sandy Hook victims are participating in the group's activities or what their viewpoints are. A number of families have signaled their desire to be left alone for now as they mourn their lost ones and rebuild their lives.

One member of a victim's family, who asked not to be identified, said that while Sandy Hook Promise has an "honorable intent" the events of Dec. 14 remain "a big blur" for many families.

The parent said that while some victims' relatives are likely to speak out on such issues as gun violence, mental health care and even video game content, others will take a wait-and-see approach.

"Maybe in the future, but now the wounds are so raw," the parent said.

Beyond public advocacy, the founders of Sandy Hook Promise have sought to identify how best to connect some of the donations that have poured in from across the country to those families of the victims who need help, Bittman said.

"We don't want our friends or neighbors to have financial issues," he said. "Wherever we saw a (need), we helped. We passed on what generous donors did."

Newtown United held two forums at the public library where community members gathered to talk about the aftermath of Dec. 14.

The Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable made a donation to the organization to assist with its initial start-up efforts. The roundtable, a spokesperson said, wants to encourage the Connecticut group to "combat gun violence and fight for tougher gun laws" and, in general, to help with "their fight to spread their message of peace and healing."

Though gun-control legislation is at the forefront of many conversations, Sandy Hook Promise intends to be more than a one-issue lobby, Rob Cox, one of its founders, said earlier this week.

The nonpartisan organization's "fervent hope" is that families of the victims and survivors, and all those personally affected by the tragedy, have a national platform "that resonates in Washington," Cox said.